Become a policy leader for the 21st century

When social, economic and environmental issues arise, policymakers are the first to step into the fray. Oregon State University’s Master of Public Policy (MPP) and Executive Master of Public Policy (EMPP) online degree programs will provide you with the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in policy career fields.

Fire chief Bob Horton is able to apply what he learns online in the Executive Master of Public Policy program directly to his work serving his local community. Read Bob's story »

The discipline of policy is closely connected to the practice of policy design, implementation, and assessment. As a student in one of these interdisciplinary programs housed at a leading research university, you'll learn to integrate groundbreaking science into emerging policies and practices that will impact and influence local, regional and international policy decisions.

Master of Public Policy

The 54-credit MPP program is designed for careers in domestic or international organizations, and is beneficial for:

• Professionals seeking career advancement
• Professionals transitioning from the private sector to public service
• Recent graduates wanting to pursue policy careers

Executive Master of Public Policy

Strengthen your foothold as a policy practitioner and gain the knowledge that will help you transition from the private sector to public service by earning your Executive Master of Public Policy (EMPP) degree online from Oregon State.

Tailored for mid-career professionals, this 45-credit program is shorter than the MPP offering because it takes into account your status as a practitioner with 5+ years in the public and nonprofit sectors.

Quality, rigorous programs

Oregon State’s MPP program is accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), the global standard in public service education. 

Benefits of earning your degree online from Oregon State

• All classes are developed by Oregon State's renowned faculty, who are known worldwide for their research, expertise and innovation.
• Oregon State is institutionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
• OSU's online students receive the same diploma and transcript as on-campus students.

Accelerated Master’s Platform for undergrad students

Oregon State’s Accelerated Master’s Platform allows current undergraduate public policy students to take graduate-level courses online that will be applied to their bachelor’s degree, and the credits earned will be transferred to the Master of Public Policy program. Earn graduate credits and apply them to both degrees as a student in the AMP program. Undergraduate students enrolled in Ecampus graduate courses will pay the graduate tuition and fees rate.

Start stacking credits toward your graduate program

Oregon State offers a variety of public policy programs online that can be stacked together — making it possible for you to build toward a graduate degree or certificate. For example, the 9 credits you earn while completing the public policy leadership microcredential can count toward the 18 credits needed to earn a public policy analysis graduate certificate.

In turn, those 18 graduate certificate credits can be applied toward the 54-credit Master of Public Policy degree or the 45-credit an Executive Master of Public Policy degree.